Switch On Summer, Get Ready With Your Auto Mechanic
We are really quite fortunate to not have such harsh differences between summer and winter here in Florida. Unlike some states we don’t have to be too concerned with summer and winter tires, snow chains or concentrated antifreeze. Our summers here are no joke, so your friendly neighborhood auto mechanic has some cool tips to get your summer car ready for the Florida groove.
1. Detail Your Car
Start off by giving your pride and joy a thorough detail. We recommend that you do this yourself, as there is no better way to check the overall condition of a vehicle than to give it a good once over. You’ll easily notice things that even a good auto mechanic might miss! Besides, it’s a good excuse to chill in the sunshine and take some time out.
While following our detailing guide, make sure that you use at least one (two or three if you’ve got lots of time) coat of UV protection on all the plastic trim pieces and interior. Don’t forget that the same goes for you – we don’t want you looking that BMW shade of ‘brilliant red’ at the end of the day!
If you don’t have time to DIY, no stress, let our competent team and Foreign Affairs Motorwerks handle it for you. A good accessory to have knocking about the cabin is one of those window sunshades, as these can mean the difference between a sweltering interior and damaged trim or an icy cool ride.
2. Tuneup Service and Inspection
Want to get your auto checked out, but not pay for it? A good tip is to just swing by for an oil change. Any auto mechanic worth their salt will check the vehicle out while they do the oil service and let you know if there are any issues. This is also a good time to mention any issues that you might have picked up when you were doing that detailing, we talked about earlier. We also strongly recommend that you get your transmission checked out and if you haven’t been on schedule, get that oil changed too.
3. Joe Cool Ain’t In School
There is nothing worse than a long sticky Florida summers day without AC. Unfortunately, one of the most unreliable automotive systems is actually the AC. If your car has been sitting idle for the winter, often the gas could have diffused out of the system and when you come to switch it on again. Suddenly all is not chilled man. If it cools a little but nowhere near where it should, a simple re-gassing should sort it out.
On the other hand, if the AC light comes on and nothing happens, it could mean that the system has a leak. An easy test for this is to start the car with the AC off, then pop the hood and locate the AC pump. It’s usually easy to spot – it will be driven by the accessory belt and have at least two pipes coming out of it.
Additionally, the inner of the pulley attached to the pump shouldn’t be turning. Once you’re confident you’ve located the pump, switch the AC system on. If the inner of the pulley begins to turn, it means that system has detected sufficient gas to run the pump. This could mean that your AC pump has gone bad. However, if the light is on, but the inside of the pulley isn’t turning, it means that there is very little or no gas in the system. Yep you, guessed it, you’ve got a leak.
4. Drive Your Car Regularly
We’ve been auto mechanics in Pompano Beach for two generations. Take it from us, cars are meant to be driven. They don’t like standing, as this is when things start perishing. Hop into your pride and joy get the AC blasting and crank up the stereo, then show the summer who’s boss!